ARACHNIDA 75 



count of the webs. At James Bay, on James Island, the species was 

 present in enormous numbers, being here even more numerous than at 

 Iguana Cove. On Charles the webs were of such strength that they 

 often entangled and firmly held the large powerful variety of Schisto- 

 cerca melanocera that occurs here. On the other islands the species 

 was less numerous, though abundant on Chatham and Indefatigable. 



EPEIRA LABYRINTHEA. 



Most widely distributed spider of the archipelago — unknown only 

 on Duncan, Wenman and Culpepper. Second in numbers to Epeira 

 oaxensis ; predominates over this species on Hood Island, where in- 

 dividuals are also of unusually large size. The species occurs where- 

 ever there is vegetation, but not on the barren lava fields. 



The webs are of the ordinary form as made by the species elsewhere, 

 consisting of an orb and labyrinth. The hiding place in the center of 

 the labyrinth consists ordinarily of a few bits of leaves. Anomalous 

 forms, such as the following, are frequently met with. A Tagus 

 Cove spider had the labyrinth spun about the end of a twig of cotton, 

 and made the tip of the twig serve as a hiding place. A web was 

 found on the northern Seymour Island consisting merely of a vertical 

 orb a few inches from the ground, suspended above by a long hori- 

 zontal thread attached at each end to bushes. In the bush at one end 

 of this line was a very small labyrinth consisting of a few short 

 threads spun irregularly across one another. In this was suspended 

 an &^^ cocoon at the lower end of which the spider had her retreat. 

 In some cases hiding places consisted of a small sheet of white silk 

 suspended horizontally in the center of the labyrinth, sometimes with 

 bits of foreign matter attached. A Harrington spider had its orb in- 

 clined at an angle of about forty-five degrees and the nest was sus- 

 pended by means of a few threads near the upper edge of the orb. 



The Hood Island individuals, in nearly all cases, constructed very 

 scanty labyrinths. They generally consisted of merely a few lines 

 radiating outwards from the hiding place, or egg cocoon, to convenient 

 points of attachment. There were commonly only about five of these 

 lines, and they usually lay all in one vertical plane, parallel with the 

 orb. The number of lines observed varied from two to eight. Where 

 but two were present, one extended upward and the other downward, 

 virtually, one line. One web was found on this island constructed 

 on more nearly the ordinary type, having the labyrinth composed of a 

 large number of threads, but in this case even, most of the threads 

 lay in a plane parallel with the orb. Labyrinths of these styles are 



